Parade

Ask Marilyn: Do Horses Ever Get Airborne?

Geo Moses of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, writes:

Marilyn: Does a racehorse at full gallop ever have all four legs off the ground at the same time?

Marilyn responds:

Yep. This was proved back in 1878, when photographer Eadweard Muybridge (who, according to James Burke in his book Connections, had changed his name from Edward Muggeridge for some reason!) took a series of fast shutter-speed photos that predated movie photography. Muybridge is often called the 'father of the motion picture.' The photos of a galloping horse, which soon became famous, were shot to settle a disagreement between the then-governor of California and a friend.